Some northern elders have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to overhaul the security system ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The elders, under the aegis of Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development (CNEEPP), said they were concerned about the state of insecurity across the nation.
The elders noted that they were highly disturbed that Buhari had not taken proactive steps to end the situation other than holding endless meetings with Security Chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In a statement by its National Coordinator, Engr Zana Goni, the northern elders said: “Insecurity in Nigeria has become a source of concern both to Nigerians and the international community. On a regular basis, several civilians and soldiers are killed by men of the underworld.
“Some Nigerians in the North are fleeing to neighbouring countries to seek refuge. Soldiers who are supposed to be at the war front are resigning over lack of motivation from the service chiefs. In addition, there is a limited supply of weapons and ammunition.
“At the last count, over 5000 lives have been lost in the last five years and the number keeps increasing by the day with no solution in sight.”
Noting also that “churches, mosques, residential buildings, schools and farmlands are not safe as they are regularly invaded by terrorists”, the northern elders regretted that in spite of the development, Buhari has continued to hesitate in hackneying to calls by experts and majority of Nigerians that the security architecture be overhauled completely.
The elders urged Buhari to sack the National Security Adviser (NSA) Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), the service chiefs and holistically restructure the nation’s entire security architecture.
They said unless such a step was taken by the president urgently, the nation’s worsening security challenges may not abate soon.